Question

question 20

a pharmacy technician catches a near-miss error before a filled prescription leaves the pharmacy. which of the following actions should the technician take?

• inform the patient of the possible error.
• ask the pharmacist if someone else can perform that task next time.
• since no error occurred there is no need to report it.
• report the incident to the pharmacist.

Explanation:

Define a near-miss error

A near-miss is an event or situation that could have resulted in accident, injury, or illness, but did not, either by chance or through timely intervention. In pharmacy practice, catching a dispensing error before the medication is handed over to the patient is a classic near-miss.

Analyze reporting requirements

Under standard Medication Safety protocols, all near-misses must be reported internally. Reporting these events allows the pharmacy team to analyze the workflow, identify systemic vulnerabilities, and implement preventive measures to avoid actual errors in the future.

Evaluate the given options

• Inform the patient of the possible error: Incorrect. Because the error was caught before leaving the pharmacy, the patient was not affected, so there is no need to cause unnecessary alarm.
• Ask the pharmacist if someone else can perform that task next time: Incorrect. This avoids addressing the root cause of the issue and is not a professional standard.
• Since no error occurred there is no need to report it: Incorrect. Failing to report near-misses prevents the pharmacy from improving its safety systems.
• Report the incident to the pharmacist: Correct. The pharmacist must be notified so the incident can be documented and analyzed to improve safety.

Answer:

• Inform the patient of the possible error.
• Ask the pharmacist if someone else can perform that task next time.
• Since no error occurred there is no need to report it.
• Report the incident to the pharmacist. (Correct answer)